Diplomatic Envoys And The New Policy Reform In The Late Qing Dynasty

The New Policy reform in the Late Qing Dynasty was a deep field level social reform movement, which the rulers of Qing Dynasty implemented under the internal disorder and foreign invasion austere situation in order to consolidate their domination. The content of the New Policy was very widespread, involving to politics, economy, the education, the military, social life and so on each domain. In the New Policy reform lasting ten years, the envoys' merit was indelible. This article attempts to reveal diplomatic envoys' status and function of the reform by systematically expounding their influence in politics, economy, education, military, social custom and so on transformation. This article is divided into five parts.The first part mainly introduces the background of the New Policy reform and the basic situation of the diplomatic envoys, discusses their driving forces of advocating and participating the reform.The second part concretely elaborates the envoys' function in the political reform from bureaucracy reformation, local self—government, constitutional study and promoting constitutionalism. The plan of bureaucracy reformation devised by them provide theoretical guidance for the regime framework of separation of powers and enrich the contents of the province General Bureaucracy. Their assertion of local self—government laid the foundation of 'the City Towns and Villages Local self—government Regulation'. They provided the experience using for reference for the Qing Government by reporting the investigation in East—Cast counties. They were important driving force of preparation for the constitutional at the end of the Qing Dynasty. They strongly advocated to implement the constitutionalism in five years.The third part mainly studies the envoys' contribution to economic transformation from the currency reform, tax reform, World Expo, transportations system and economic laws and regulations. They advocated a unified national currency, advocated and guided businessmen to take part in World Expo, made every effort to safeguard Chinese businessman's benefit, compiled the economic laws and regulations. The ideas and actions greatly promoted economic development.The fourth part mainly elaborated the diplomatic envoys' contribution in the educational reform from school education , abroad study education and military education. They advocated accommodating imperial civil service examination, presented a memorial requesting to set up small school, proposed to unify the school textbooks and encouraged the gentry and merchants to run a school, so as to promote the development of school education. They actively raised the abroad study funds, strictly limited the selection criteria of students studying abroad and strengthened management and surveillance to students studying abroad. Their contribution to abroad studying education was outstanding. They advocated to implement Army National Education , presented a memorial requesting to send students to Japan to study military affairs and proposed to establish navy school to train navy talented person. These indicated that they value the military education.The fifth part mainly discusses the diplomatic envoys' function in custom changing and military reform. Their institutes memorial to the emperor and the bill of particulars had the quite tremendous influence to urge the Qing government to set firm resolve to ban smoking. Many of their anti-smoking programs were adopted by the Qing government. They presented a memorial requesting to strictly lay down conscription standard, set up military school, advocated a unified military music and clothing , proposed to establish the Red Cross in the military , requested to rectify navy and put forward the conception to take the Sanmen Bay of Zhejiang province as Naval base. All of these indicated the diplomatic envoys contributed their strength for the military reform in the Late Qing Dynasty.The conclusion part carries on the overall appraisal to diplomatic envoys' function of the New Policy Reform in the late Qing Dynasty by analyzing their positive and limitations. After the failure of the reform, the political stance of some diplomatic envoys shifted from constitutionalism to republic.